i was thinking about this a minute ago. Hasbro pretty much minus the first release, just randomly sends out the new figures to stores and it takes forever for everyone to be able to find each new wave, usually it takes 2 months for it to be available everywhere. now takara actually has set street dates for every new wave and every new figure they make, making it easy for people over in japan to find figures, cause all they have to do is go to the store on the release date and they are there. now why do you think this happens?

i was thinking about this a minute ago. Hasbro pretty much minus the first release, just randomly sends out the new figures to stores and it takes forever for everyone to be able to find each new wave, usually it takes 2 months for it to be available everywhere. now takara actually has set street dates for every new wave and every new figure they make, making it easy for people over in japan to find figures, cause all they have to do is go to the store on the release date and they are there. now why do you think this happens?

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takara i think ships out less figures in terms of numbers, therefore its easier to coordinate street dates. Takara only has to do with Japan which is the size of California. Hasbro has to deal with the whole United States. So it comes down to time and the whole logistics of it.

Yeah, the market in Japan isn't the same as it is here. Transformers in Japan are aimed more at the collector, the more hardcore consumer, that's why street dates work (much like with games). Here in the US, it's a toyline aimed primarily at kids, stores just stock what they want/need, Hasbro doesn't really have the control to be able to enforce street dates.

American stores are lazy and don't want to deal with all the various skus. They prefer assortments that they have to order in bulk. Since all of the Takara toys ship individually somebody has to track the stock on every single figure in order to place orders.

Japan's methods may seam better when it comes to getting things out on time. However, after that individual sku stops shipping that is it there done with the figures. The American method gets a wider variety of figures out at one time. Also they can do things like refresher waves in case you missed a figure the first time around